Welcome to Radiant Light, Julie! I'm so glad to have you here.
Julie: Thanks so much for having me, my sweet friend!
RL: If you
could go anywhere for a long weekend where would you go?
Julie: Oh, gosh,
I would go to Isle of Hope, Georgia in a heartbeat. Why? Because that is the
setting of my contemporary Isle of Hope Series, which I absolutely fell in love
with! We actually had a trip planned to IOH before I wrote the series, but we
sold our house the week prior, so we had to cancel. Consequently, I was forced
to research Isle of Hope via books and the Internet instead of in person, which
lit a fire under me to see the real thing because it is SUCH an amazing place!
When I started writing that series,
I knew I wanted a locale on the Eastern Seaboard, and I’ve always loved Hilton
Head and Savannah, so I prayed about it, then checked out a map. I was
absolutely blown away to discover “Isle of Hope,” a small peninsula 15 minutes
away from Savannah that actually becomes an island when the tide comes in! How
cool is that?
With a unique Southern charm all its
own, Isle of Hope’s seaside beauty and low-country allure has drawn movie
makers and photographers for years, boasting films like the Oscar-winning
Glory, the original Cape Fear, The Last of the Belles, Forrest Gump, and The
Last Song. And, with a name like “Isle of Hope,” it was—for me—the perfect
setting for a story of hope restored.
RL: I'd love to visit Isle of Hope, Georgia! That would be so much fun! Especially going with you!
Are you a night owl or an early bird?
Julie: A little
of both, I think. My hubby and I head up to bed around ten or so, where he
watches TV while I read. But I’m usually up long
after he nods off, devouring anywhere from 6-8 books a month because that’s about
the only time I get to read, often to midnight or so. But … I also like to get
up early, too, if I can—anywhere from 6-7:00 AM—to get a jumpstart in catching
up on TV news, my Bible/devo time, exercise, breakfast, emails, etc. before I
dive into writing anywhere from 1l:00 AM-1:00 PM.
RL: I 'm definitely a night owl. But, I am noticing that I'll wake up earlier and earlier. Getting out of bed when I don't have to be somewhere or do anything is the hard part.
Who is
your favorite book character from childhood?
Julie: Okay, here’s a shocker for you—Scarlett
O’Hara from Gone With the Wind. I
know, I know, most people think I’m crazy when I say that, but Scarlett was
definitely one of a kind. I mean, seriously, how many heroines do you know who were as selfish as she was,
yet carried people’s interest in a novel over 1,000 pages long? And not just
any novel, but a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel that made over $400 million as a
movie, which when adjusted for inflation is the highest grossing film of all
time?
Yeah, I thought so.
When I first read Gone With the Wind at the age of twelve, I was so swept away by the
romantic tension between Scarlett and Rhett, that I actually wrote 300
manuscript pages of what today is my debut novel, A Passion Most Pure. Scarlett was not exactly a role model, I know,
but I loved her strength, her confidence, her inability to be false or phony …
and I especially loved the pull she had over Rhett whether he liked it or not.
That’s what true romance is—a man who will cherish you and love you no matter
your failings.
RL: Not shocked at all. I remember when I read Gone With the Wind and was surprised a book of that length kept my attention. But, I didn't even think about her character in the way you did. She definitely was quite a character! I can definitely see how it inspired A Passion Most Pure.
What is the weirdest thing you’ve Googled
while writing a book?
Julie: Oh, gosh,
there have been sooooo many things I’ve Googled, especially in my most
researched book to date, A Wing and A
Prayer, which is Gabe O’Connor’s story during WWII (from the O’Connor family
saga, The Daughters of Boston and Winds of Change Series).
Some of
the weirdest (and most interesting) things I researched in that book were the
inside of a military Jeep, the inside of a cockpit of various planes, and the
top soft drink during WWII. For instance, I have a scene where Gabe leans to kiss
the hero in a military Jeep, so I had to find out if there was a gear shift in
the way, if it had doors for my hero to lean back on, and how to start it after
he gets angry enough to gun away. There is
a gear shift in the way, there are no
doors for the hero to lean on, and there are
no keys/ignition in a military Jeep—only a floor pedal.
As far as
the top soft drink during WWII, it was Coca-Cola, which was supplied to the
troops throughout the war. Unfortunately, Coca-Cola was also Hitler’s favorite drink because there was a German Coca-Cola
division in Germany that the U.S. cut off from shipments of Coca-Cola syrup
during the war, so the Germans had to come up with a poor substitute, and voila! Fanta was born. J
RL: Those are some fun searches. I really like the information about Coca-Cola and Fanta.
Here on my blog I say that it is a radiant
light and source of encouragement for both readers and authors. What do you
hope radiates from your daily life?
Julie: My love
for Jesus, which is deep and passionate and my utter fallibility without Him.
RL: That is beautiful, Julie! I can testify that your love for Jesus is deep and passionate. I am so thankful for your willingness to pray when asked to. I, too know I would be a complete mess without Him.
If I asked Faith to describe you as an author
what would she say?
Julie: LOL, what
a great question! I think she would say that she and I are very much alike. We
both have hot tempers and get our “Irish” up more than we should and both of us
are deeply spiritual. So much so, that you might say Faith is my spiritual
self. She has an intimate relationship with God—she talks and prays to Him as
naturally as if He is her best friend, but she gets angry with Him too. I like
to say that she (and I) are emotionally engaged with the God of the Universe—we
laugh with Him, tear up at His goodness to us, and worship Him with all of our
hearts. As a matter of fact, Faith and I are so much alike in the spiritual sense,
that a good friend once told me that reading A Passion Most Pure was “like going to lunch with me.” I hope
that’s a good thing!
RL: I love that! I get my Italian up a lot more than I should so I completely understand that. That's a fabulous way to look at A Passion Most Pure. I feel like I've sat and had an in depth conversation with you after I've read one of your books.
I believe I know this answer, which character
out of all that you’ve written is most like you?
Julie: Well, at the risk of
sounding narcissistic (gulp), three of my sister characters are based on
different aspects of my personality. Basically, I like to delve into characters
on a deeply emotional level, and so I draw upon the wealth of emotional baggage
from my own past. And trust me, we’re talking the mother lode!
For instance as
mentioned above, Faith is my spiritual self and most like the woman I am
today—heavily dependent on God, emotionally involved with Him, and a person who
prays at the drop of a hat, so I almost feel one with her.
Charity, the sister
heroine of Book 2 A Passion Redeemed
is my rebellious and “passionate” self, before I came to the Lord. I was a wild
child of the seventies before Jesus got a hold of me (as he does Charity in
Book 2), so my heart goes out to her and the woman I used to be—selfish,
manipulative, lost. I think that’s why she fascinates me so much, because I
look at her (and women like her) in the same way I suspect God looked at me
back then—with eyes full of love and hope that we all can become new creatures
in Christ Jesus. And quite frankly, I think Charity is just downright funny and
such a hoot that she makes me laugh. Which kind of shocks me because I never
ever thought I was a funny person and yet I
created Charity and her quirky sense of humor! Go figure!
Then finally, Lizzie (or
Beth), the sister heroine of Book 3 A
Passion Denied is my dreamer self. Lizzie is a bookworm bent on fairytale
romance, just like I used to be as a little girl, sneaking downstairs to watch
romantic movies after my parents went to bed. In her story, Lizzie has to learn
(just like I did) that true romance, the kind that really satisfies, comes from
following God’s precepts, not the world’s.
RL: Oh, man, Julie, I love that! I think it's great that you incorporated not only parts of your personality but things from your life into your characters. I think that is why so many reader's feel like they know you from reading your stories. I see all three of the sisters in you. I see Marcy too.
What do you hope reader’s take away from A Gift Like No Other?
Julie: Well, let’s start with
the second most important thing I want readers to take away from A Gift Like No Other, and that is as
Christians, each of us needs to be keenly aware of just how easy it is to
inadvertently “sow the seeds of divorce” in our marriages or relationships by
focusing on the negative. And then, the first
most important thing I tried to convey in this novella is that prayer should
always be a first resort, not a last, and that it can tackle and resolve any
problem we face, large or small. Because the bottom line is, it truly is “a
gift like no other.”
RL: I definitely agree with you. Until I went through my divorce I hadn't paid attention to the seeds of divorce that we had sown into our marriage. While I wasn't the one who cheated, lied, or abused, I can look back now and see that we didn't put a hedge of protection around our marriage like we should have. I am really glad that Mark and I have done that.
Before we say good-bye for today, what’s coming up next for you?
Julie: Right now I’m in the process of writing book 2
in the Silver Lining Ranch Series, Love’s
Silver Bullet, which I hope to release in the spring. After that, I am
chomping at the bit to write a secular book.
Why secular, you say? Well, I’ve been feeling
God nudging me toward the secular market for about a year now and have been
praying about it heavily. So, when my agent suddenly had interest from two
secular publishers on Gabe’s story (which I had planned to indie release this
fall), I prayed about it some more, then revamped that story for the secular
market per my agent’s instructions. Which meant, of course, deleting all
references to God and words like pray, prayer, blessing, etc. and adding more
sensuality (which is a must in secular romance), but all within moral
parameters that I so believe in. Now, spirituality is the most important thing to me in my books, so trust me—it was very difficult to take it all out. But, I
told God that if I was hearing correctly from Him and He wanted me in the
secular market, He would have to get me a contract there.
Needless to say, I was totally shocked when my
agent told me a secular editor wants to buy Gabe’s story and has taken it to
pub board (where they say yay or nay), so I’m in the wait mode on that novel. If
I do not get a contract from them, then I intend to release Gabe’s story as a
Christian indie right away and then publish the secular version I revamped under
a different title and my maiden name. That way, I get to write what I want in
the indie market, but hopefully broaden my reader base in the secular.
Ultimately, I am hoping and praying that some of those who like my writing in
the secular market will then cross over into my Christian books, which as you
know, is where my true ministry is.
RL: First, I can't wait to read Love's Silver Bullet! That is a great title! Second, I think that Christian writer's need to be in the secular market. I mean in the Christian market it's like preaching to the choir. I know I love walking away from a book being encouraged and feeling drawn to dig into scripture more. Yet, when I think of what's available on the secular market I don't see it as encouraging and uplifting and could you just imagine if someone read a book of yours in the secular market, and jumped into your Inspirational books and saw God for the first time. What a huge answer to prayer that would be! I mean I was a believer and A Passion Most Pure spoke to my heart about staying pure during my divorce and until I remarried again whether I did or not.
I'll jump off my soap box now. Thanks for spending some time with me today, Julie.
Julie has a great Christmas giveaway for you to enter. Just click the image to enter!
